Woman who used fake copy of disabled mum’s Blue Badge exposed as fraudster, but asks: 'Why have I got a ticket?'

Despite being caught red-handed using a counterfeit paper copy of her 66-year-old mum’s badge, fraudster Joelene Pidgley passionately protested her innocence in a series of bare-faced lies, city magistrates heard.

The 33-year-old, of Swift Lane, Bagshot in Surrey, demanded answers from Portsmouth City Council’s enforcement team who had snared her on November 7 for parking her Citroen C3 in St George’s Square, opposite Gunwharf Quays, on yellow lines.

But outraged Pidgley fought her corner after being slapped with a parking notice when checks showed the badge was a fake. Questioning the integrity of the fine, she blasted in an appeal: ‘Why have I got a ticket? My badge was on full view.’

It had been noted by the officer that security features embedded on the disabled badge indicated it belonged to a 66-year-old female.

The colour and print quality were also not in keeping with a genuine disabled badge, and security features contained on a disabled badge such as the hologram were not present.

Investigating officer Stephen Goodall contacted the defendant by telephone before Pidgley insisted the badge was not a fake.

She then went on to claim her mum had lost the badge which was reported to issuing authority Surrey County Council.

The defendant said she had a photocopy of the badge and Surrey council told her to ‘use the photocopy until a replacement disabled badge was issued’.

However, when Mr Goodall contacted the council they said it had ‘never been reported as lost or stolen’ and there was ‘no record of any correspondence with the badge holder, or any of her family members in regards to this disabled badge’.

They added: ‘Surrey County Council would never advise someone to use a copied disabled badge under any circumstances.’

A series of emails between Mr Goodall and Pidgley took place in January to invite her to interview in which she kept up the act.

‘The defendant stated she does not understand why she has been invited to attend an interview as she thought it was ok to use a copy of her mum's disabled badge,’ Mr Goodall said in a statement to the court.

Pidgley failed to attend three interviews across January and February with no further contact taking place with the officer.

She sent in the fake badge – cut into three bits.

Pidgley did show up to the court hearing, though, where she admitted three charges. These were making a counterfeit badge, parking on yellow lines knowingly using the fake badge, and submitting a fraudulent appeal.

Following the court hearing Mr Goodall said: ‘She provided yet another contradictory account for her use of the counterfeit badge (in court). However, given her guilty pleas this was disregarded.’

Magistrates imposed a six-month conditional discharge and told Pidgley to pay costs of £528.61.

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Councillor Lynne Stagg, traffic and transportation boss at the council, said: ‘We are shocked that someone would not only make a counterfeit badge and then lie to the council about it to try and get away without paying the parking fine.

‘We are however proud to say that our officers are highly skilled at catching those that misuse disabled badges.’